Keeping an eye on visual search patterns in visuospatial neglect: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Visuospatial neglect is characterized by a failure to attend to stimuli contralateral to a brain lesion.
• Eye movement analysis offers a more detailed understanding of neglect than traditional behavioral tests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize existing research on eye-tracking in patients with visuospatial neglect.
• To highlight the utility of eye movements in understanding neglect and associated cognitive deficits.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of twenty studies meeting eligibility criteria.
• Extraction of data on patient characteristics, neglect tests, stimuli, eye-tracker specifications, and eye movement metrics.
• Qualitative synthesis of findings.

Main Results:

• Eye-tracking complements standard neglect assessments.
• Lateral asymmetrical biases in eye movements are present during both active exploration and rest.
• Asymmetrical biases extend to vertical as well as horizontal planes.
• Eye movement patterns are influenced by stimulus and task factors.
• Eye movement analysis aids in understanding related cognitive impairments like spatial working memory.

Conclusions:

• Eye-tracking provides valuable insights into the complex nature of visuospatial neglect.
• Future research should incorporate eye movement measurements for a comprehensive understanding of neglect.
• This method can help elucidate other cognitive deficits associated with neglect.